War News for Thursday, June 07, 2012

NATO is reporting the deaths of two ISAF soldiers in a helicopter crash in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, June 6th. News reports that a NATO helicopter was shot down in Ghazni province killing two American soldiers.

Reported security incidents
#1: Afghanistan's president said Thursday that 18 people killed in a NATO airstrike in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday were all civilians. NATO has so far said it has no records of civilian deaths from the pre-dawn strike Wednesday on a house in Logar province. The NATO and Afghan troops were going after a local Taliban leader when the international coalition says they came under fire and called in an airstrike on the house.

#2: Another 20 civilians were killed when a pair of suicide bombers struck within minutes of each other outside the sprawling NATO base in the southern city of Kandahar. Underlining the challenge facing security forces, two suicide bombers detonated their explosives in a parking area outside the sprawling NATO base in Kandahar which has been repeatedly attacked. The Taliban appeared to be targeting companies that provide sup-plies to NATO. Eight of the 22 killed worked for companies that supply equipment to the base. A bomber on a motorcycle blew himself up in an area packed with truck drivers and other civilians waiting to get into the facility. As people gathered at the site of the blast, another bomber walked into the crowd and detonated his explosives, said Ahmad Faisal, a spokes-man for the provincial governor.

#3: Eight persons including two children were killed while dozens injured in a blast outside a seminary at Sariab Road in Quetta, Geo News reported Thursday. According to sources, an event was taking place at Jamia Islamia Miftah-ul-Uloom when a blast occurred outside the seminary. The explosive device was strapped to a bicycle present beside the seminary gate. As a result of blast, eight persons including two children were killed while dozens were injured, hospital sources told. The bomb was detonated outside the Islamic seminary as a degree ceremony for students was being held inside, DIG Operations Qazi Abdul Wahid told reporters.

#4: Afghan army and police, backed by the NATO-led coalition forces, have eliminated 26 Taliban insurgents during cleanup operations within the past 24 hours, the Afghan Interior Ministry said on Thursday morning. "The joint forces conducted nine cleanup operations in Laghman, Takhar, Kandahar, Helmand, Logar and Herat provinces, killing 26 armed Taliban insurgents over the past 24 hours," the ministry said in a statement.

War News for Wednesday, June 06, 2012

Do to internet changes I was unable to post today. I will be back on line posting tomorrow Thursday. -- whisker

War News for Tuesday, June 05, 2012

The DoD is reporting a new death previously unreported by NATO. Spc. Gerardo Campos died from small arms fire in Maiwand, Kandahar province, Afghanistan on Saturday, June 2nd.

Reported security incidents
#1: Two Australian soldiers and a civilian interpreter have been struck by insurgent fire in Afghanistan's Helmand Province. The group was injured during a 14-hour raid on a drug processing facility in the north of the province.

#2: At least four troops and 20 militants were killed when unidentified militants attacked an army check post in Pakistan's northwest tribal region of Mohmand on early Tuesday morning, local Urdu Tv channel Dawn reported. Tuesday's attack occurred in wee hours of morning when an unknown number of unidentified militants stormed an army check post in Salala area of Mohmand Agency, a tribal region at Pakistan- Afghanistan border. Four troops were killed in the attack, and 20 militants lost their lives in retaliatory attack by Pakistan army.

#3: At least two Taliban leaders were killed following a joint military operation by Afghan and coalition security forces in eastern Ghazni province.

#4: According to local authorities in Ghor province unknown gunmen assassinated development council chief in this province. The officials further added the incident took place at Tolak district of Ghor province on Sunday night after unknown gunmen attacked and killed Mawlawi Mohammad, the development council chief of Ghor province.

#5: According to local authorities in eastern Paktiya province at least 3 armed militants were killed following a NATO airstrike in this province. The officials further added the air raid was carried out at a residential house in Zurmat district of eastern Paktiya province.


DoD: Spc. Gerardo Campos

DoD: Lance Cpl. Joshua E. Witsman

MoD: Corporal Michael John Thacker

MoD: Private Gregg Thomas Stone

War News for Monday, June 04, 2012

The British MoD is reporting the death of a British ISAF soldier from small arms fire in the Nahr-e Saraj district, Helmand Province, Afghanistan on Sunday, June 3rd. Here's the ISAF release.

Reported security incidents
#1: Rockets fired from a U.S. drone killed 15 people in northwest Pakistan intelligence officials said. The strike, the third in three days, targeted a militant hideout in the Hesokhel village of the North Waziristan tribal region, officials said.

#2: Unknown gunmen killed at least seven people including two policemen on Sunday afternoon when they opened fire at a shop in Pakistan's southwestern metropolitan of Quetta, official said.
According to the police officials, four miscreants armed with automatic guns riding on two motorcycles by hiding their faces with masks reached a shop at the Sirki road and opened fire at people present in the shop. In the result of the firing five people including the owner of the shop and his son were shot dead on the spot.

#3: Afghan police during series of operations across the conflict-ridden country have killed 20 armed militants and captured 13 others over the past 24 hours, Interior Ministry said in a press release on Monday. "The units of police backed by the army and the NATO-led forces have killed 20 armed insurgents and arrested 13 others over the past 24 hours," the press release added. Six more insurgents sustained injures, it further said. However, it did not say if there were any casualties on the security forces.
#4: Afghan defense ministry officials following a press release on Monday announced at least 15 Afghan national army soldiers were killed or injured following roadside bomb explosion and militants attack during the past 24 hours. The source further added 1 Afghan soldier was killed and 14 others were injured in Maidan Wardak, Logar, Paktia and Zabul provinces of Afghanistan.


DoD: Staff Sgt. Alexander G. Povilaitis

DoD: Spc. Kedith L. Jacobs

DoD: Pfc. Leroy Deronde III

News of the Day for Sunday, June 3, 2012

British MoD identifies Welsh soldier killed on Friday as Corporal Michael Thacker of Swindon.

U.S. DoD identifies two soldiers killed on May 27 as 21-year-old Spc. Kedith L. Jacobs, of Denver, and 22-year-old Pfc. Leroy Deronde III, of Jersey City, N.J.

Afghan Defense Ministry announces that 4 Afghan soldiers have been killed and 16 injured in various incidents in the past 24 hours.

Two U.S. drones fire four missiles at a house in South Waziristan, near the Afghan border, killing by various accounts either five or six people said to be "militants." This was the second such strike in two days.

Provincial Chief of Education for Baghlan province, Mohammad Saeed, survives an assassination attempt.

A district "counter criminal chief" in Nangarhar province, Mir Akhtar, is not so fortunate. He is assassinated in an attack on his vehicle which also injured a bodyguard.

The European Union has suspended a payment of $37 million to a fund administered by the UN to finance the Afghan police, citing corruption. Personnel of the Law and Order Trust Fund for Afghanistan (LOFTA) told a monitoring committee that the fund paid salaries of non-existent police officers, and created high-paying positions for politically connected individuals.

Twenty schoolgirls are poisoned in Taloquan, Takhar province. There have been six such incidents recently.

Hamid Karzai tells Time Magazine that the U.S. did not respect the homes of Afghan villagers, and fought the "war on terror" in the wrong country. (Meaning, I take it, that the real problem is in Pakistan, as he has said many times. -- C) He thanks U.S. and NATO for improvements in education and health care, but criticizes them for failing to bring security to the country.

China is building stronger ties with Afghanistan.

War News for Saturday, June 02, 2012

Photo: petty officer Sean Edward Brazas with military working dog  "If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went."

The DoD is reporting a new death previously not reported by NATO. Staff Sgt. Roberto Loeza died in an indirect fire attack in Charkh, Logar province, Afghanistan, on Saturday, May 25th.

The British MoD is reporting the death of a British ISAF soldier from a small arms fire attack in the Nahr-e Saraj District of Helmand Province, Afghanistan on Friday, June 1st. Here's the ISAF release.

Military Intelligence staff caught stealing information

Reported security incidents
#1: NATO forces swooped in by helicopter before dawn Saturday to rescue two female foreign aid workers and their two Afghan colleagues who were held by militants for nearly two weeks in a cave in northern Afghanistan. British Prime Minister David Cameron hailed the "breathtaking" operation, which he approved Friday afternoon after becoming increasingly concerned about the safety of the hostages, one of whom, 28-year-old Helen Johnston, was British. The rescue operation was carried out by British troops in cooperation with other NATO and Afghan forces.

#2: A suspected U.S. drone strike in Pakistan killed two militants in Pakistan's tribal region on Saturday, a local government official said. The drone fired two missiles at a motorcycle the militants were riding, the official, Javed Marwat, told CNN. The incident happened near the town of Wana in South Waziristan, one of the seven districts in Pakistan's tribal region. The area is thought to be a safe haven for militant groups fueling the insurgency across the border in Afghanistan.

#3: update  A suicide truck bomber attacked a US-run base on Friday, sparking clashes that killed up to 15 people in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistani border, officials said. NATO's US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said none of its personnel was killed in the attack in Khost province. An Afghan security official told AFP that the bomber drove a truck packed with explosives into the outer security checkpost of Forward Operating Base Salerno, which is run by the US military. "Initial information shows that seven Afghans have been killed and 13 others injured," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media. According to the official, the victims were Afghan workers involved in a construction project at the base. But Khost provincial police chief Sardar Mohammad Zazai later told AFP that only three attackers were killed as they stormed the base.

#4: Five militants were reportedly killed on Saturday in an assault by fighter jets in the northwestern Khyber tribal region, DawnNews reported. Two insurgent hideouts were also destroyed in the assault in the tribal region’s Sarawela area, DawnNews quoted government sources as saying. The casualty figures from the reported action could not be independently verified. Sources further said that the operation in the region had picked up pace since Friday’s clash with militants from the Kokikhel tribe.

#5: In another incident in the tribal region’s Zakhakhel region in Tirah, volunteers from the local Tauhidul Islam organisation detained a would-be suicide bomber. The detained would-be bomber was planning to target a camp of the FC in Khyber.

#6: The Afghan national police backed by the army and the NATO-led troops have killed 30 armed militants and wounded 14 others over the past 24 hours, the country's Interior Ministry said in a statement Saturday. "The police backed by the army and the Coalition forces have conducted series of operations in Helmand, Uruzgan, Logar and Ghazni provinces during the past 24 hours which left 30 armed militants dead," the statement said, adding 14 more militants have been injured. However, it did not say if there were any casualties on the security forces.

#7: According to local authorities in western Farah province, a suicide bomber was shot dead by Afghan police early Saturday morning in this province. Afghan Interior Ministry officials said Afghan border protection police forces killed a suicide bomber before he reaches his target to attack a patrol of the Afghan police forces at Qaisar district. The officials further added two Afghan police force were also injured following the explosion of the suicide bomber explosive vest.

#8: An explosion rocked eastern Nangarhar province on Saturday morning, local security official said. The officials further added the incident took place after a suicide bomber detonated his explosives on Torkham-Jalalabad road. Mr. Mashriq further added the exact number of casualties as a result of the incident is unknown. According to reports the main target of the suicide bomber was a convoy of the coalition security forces which was crossing the area.

#9: According to local authorities in northern Parwan province, unknown gunmen killed an Afghan national army officer along with his 3 family member in this province. He also said Gen. Mir Mirza was killed along with his wife, daughter and his nephew following the incident.

#10: According to local authorities in eastern Kapisa province at least 3 Afghan national army soldiers were injured following a roadside bomb explosion in this province.

Provincial security chief spokesman Asadullah Hamidi said, the incident took place on Friday morning at Ghazi Khel area.

#11: In the meantime at least 8 militants were killed and 4 others were injured following clashes between Afghan police forces and armed militants at southern Kandahar province, provincial governor media office said. The incident took place on Thursday night at Shahwali Kot district in this province. Anti-government armed militant groups yet to comment regarding the reports.

DoD: Staff Sgt. Roberto Loeza

War News for Friday, June 01, 2012

UN Says Civilian Death Rate in Afghanistan is Unacceptable 

Australia to take over US Afghan security 

National Guard (in Federal Status) and Reserve Activated as of May 29, 2012


Reported security incidents
#1: A blast was heard in the eastern Afghan city of Khost on Friday and smoke was rising near a NATO base, a Reuters witness and nearby residents said. There was no immediate word on casualties. NATO said it was aware of an incident in the area but it was too early to comment. The Afghan Taliban said its fighters rammed a vehicle packed with large amounts of explosives into the base. A police source said a gun battle was raging near the base and local security forces were not able to get close to the area.

#2: According to local authorities in eastern Kapisa province at least 3 Afghan national army soldiers were injured following a roadside bomb explosion in this province. Provincial security chief spokesman Asadullah Hamidi said, the incident took place on Friday morning at Ghazi Khel area.

#3: In the meantime at least 8 militants were killed and 4 others were injured following clashes between Afghan police forces and armed militants at southern Kandahar province, provincial governor media office said. The incident took place on Thursday night at Shahwali Kot district in this province. Anti-government armed militant groups yet to comment regarding the reports.

#4: According to local authorities in southern Helmand province, Afghan security forces on Thursday shot dead a suicide bomber in this province. The officials further added the, a suicide bomber who had disguised himself in Afghan police uniform was shot dead by Afghan security forces around 10:00 am local time at Nawa district. The suicide bomber was looking to enter a session of the local council and was recognized by Afghan police forces before he reaches his target to carry out suicide attack, officials said.

#5: In the meantime Taliban militants ambushed Afghan police forces at Nawzad district where two militants were killed and one Afghan police officer was injured following the clashes.


DoD: Cpl. Nicholas H. Olivas

DoD: Petty Officer 2nd Class Sean E. Brazas